Santos in Oaxaca's Ancient Churches

A study of santos in 16th-century and other churches in Oaxaca, Mexico


By Claire and Richard Stracke
Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation

In San Miguel Achiutla:

Christ at the Pillar
Christ carrying the Cross
Crucifix
Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad)
Our Lady of the Rosary

Resurrected Christ

Sacred Heart of Jesus + Christ Child
St. John the Baptist
St. Joseph
St. Michael (1)
St. Michael (2)

St. Michael (3)
St. Michael (4)
St. Peter of Verona (Peter Martyr)
St. Rose of Lima
St. Sebastian
Unidentified Dominican saint
Unidentified saint

Virgin Mary Altar
Virgin Mary in White
St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima:
Both figures, including the roses, are carved from one piece. There are a few pock marks in the statue. St. Rose of Lima died in 1617.

Local Name: Santa Rosa de Lima.

Basis for Identification: Dominican habit, arms holding the naked Christ Child on a bed of roses. There is no crown of roses or thorns, commonly associated with this saint.

Site: Church of San Miguel Achiutla.

Location: Retablo of the altar at the east end of the north wall of the nave (see note).

Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint. Eyes: glass eyes for St. Rose, painted for the Christ Child.

Size: Under 2 feet (60 cm.)

Comparable santos in Oaxaca: None found.

External Links:
Wikimedia Commons: Statues of Saint Rose of Lima in Mexico
Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Rose of Lima
Wikipedia: Rose of Lima

Next: An altar at the east end of the north wall of the nave with statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Christ Child

Previous santo

Introduction to San Miguel Achiutla

Santos Home Page

Note: On this site, references to the cardinal directions always assume that the main altar is at the east end of the church, the narthex or entry area at the west end, and the two walls of the nave on the north and south. (The nave is the long central section.) Actual orientations may differ.

The photo shown here is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. You are free to share or remix it on two conditions: first, that you attribute it to the photographers, Claire and Richard Stracke, without implying any approval of your work on their part; second, that if you alter, transform, or build upon this photo, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.